Robert Zemeckis

With a flair for special effects and an impressive track record for eliciting strong performances, director Robert Zemeckis emerged from the University of Southern California's film school to become a...
Read More...

The success of Warner Bros’ Journey to the Center of the Earth will likely pressure exhibitors and distributors to find ways to roll out digital presentation systems more quickly. Journey delivered an opening weekend gross of $20.58M, with 57 percent of the gross coming from theatres equipped to show the film in Real D 3D.
This Brendan Fraser family action film is the first live action, narrative Digital 3D film, and the movie performed 3.1 times better in 3D than it did in traditional 2D presentation. I spoke with Real D Chairman/CEO and Co-Founder Michael V. Lewis on Sunday, and he says that Journey delivered an estimated Per Theatre Average of $12,000 in Digital 3D this weekend compared to just $4,000 in 2D. Given the success of 2007’s Beowulf (Dreamworks/Paramount) and the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour Movie (Disney) early this year, it is fair to question why only 1,400 Real D 3D systems have been deployed.
In order to show a film in 3D, a theatre must first upgrade from traditional to digital projection then add the Real D 3D technology. “We have 5,500 theatres under contract with Real D because it is very affordable,” says Lewis. “Digital conversion is slowing down the adoption of 3D. The big question is ‘Who will pay for the cost of digital?’”
Distributors, exhibitors and third party digital projection providers (like Kodak and Technicolor) continue to wrangle over how much each side is willing to pay to complete digital conversions. Studios are offering virtual print fees to help fund the rollout. Essentially distributors will “virtually” pay the amount that they would normally have spent to strike a print to help subsidize the digital projection systems over a period of years. Digital conversion remains a large investment major exhibitors and a huge, if not impossible, leap for independent theatres and remaining “Mom &amp; Pop” houses.
Real D will be a big winner as more and more locations go digital as the company has 90 percent of the 3D market share presently. “We’ll have 4,000 3D screens by the end of 2009, but the caveat is that the pace of digital conversion must increase,” says Lewis. “Journey to the Center of the Earth has exceeded my expectations. We had our best-ever opening weekend ratio of 3D business to 2D business even though we had more screens with Real D. There was no cannibalization.”
The next 3D film to hit the market will be Fly Me To the Moon (Summit/nWave), a new animated film due August 8. The whimsical movie about three houseflies who sneak aboard the historic Apollo 11 flight features an all-star voice cast, including Ed Begley Jr., Kelly Ripa, Nicolette Sheridan, Robert Patrick, Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry and astronaut Buzz Aldrin as himself. Fly Me will be released in 3D only, so it will be limited to 800 or so locations (resulting in what should be a very strong Per Theatre Average), but there are huge films on the horizon that could really suffer if the pace of digital conversion does not pick up dramatically.
Dreamworks will release Monsters vs. Aliens, its first 3D animated feature, on March 27, and this would-be blockbuster needs as many 3D screens as possible. Jeffrey Katzenberg has been 3D’s No. 1 fan for the last few years, but it will be impossible for Monsters vs. Aliens to reach the 4,100+ locations that Dreamworks’ 2D Kung Fu Panda opened on in June. Also due in 2009 are Dimension’s Piranha 3D from director Alexandre Aja in July, Disney’s animated G-Force also in July, a 3D version of Pixar’s Toy Story in October, Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol, featuring Jim Carrey, in November and the long-awaited Avatar from James Cameron in December.
If you have not yet seen one of the new state-of-the-art 3D films, go buy a ticket for Journey to the Center of the Earth. Whether you love the film or not, you will likely be amazed by Real D’s 3D presentation, a far cry from those paper glasses with red and blue cellophane lenses. Some of Hollywood's brightest talent (Katzenberg, Zemeckis, Cameron, Pixar) are committed to this exciting new technology. Here's hoping that distributors and exhibitors focus on making deals quickly so that that the widest possible audience can see upcoming 3D titles the way their filmmakers have intended.

Actor Jim Carrey has joined the $13 million comedy Pierre Pierre. The film is a politically incorrect story about a self-indulgent French nihilist who moves a stolen painting from Paris to London.
Jason Reitman, the Oscar-nominated director of 2007’s breakout hit Juno, is attached to direct, according to trade papers Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
The script for Pierre Pierre, written by Edwin Cannistraci and Frederick Seton, set off a bidding war in Hollywood before being purchased by Twentieth Century Fox specialty division Fox Atomic for $1 million.
Carrey, who is currently shooting A Christmas Carol for director Robert Zemeckis, will next appear--by voice only--in the animated version of Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!. The film also features the voices of Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Will Arnett, Dane Cook and Isla Fisher, among others.
After that, he’ll star in Yes Man, from The Break-Up director Peyton Reed. In the film, Carrey plays a man who has challenged himself to say yes to everything for a year. Zooey Deschanel, Danny Masterson and Terence Stamp also star.
As for Reitman, he will next produce the cheerleader-from-hell comedy-thriller Jennifer's Body, which Karyn Kusama (Girlfight) is directing. The script for Jennifer’s Body was written by Juno’s Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody.

Watching Beowulf you might think “Yeah I’ve seen all this stuff before ” but then you realize this was the one story that ruled them all. Once again using his unique motion-capture technology Zemeckis along with screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary stunningly brings to life the oldest surviving epic poem in the English language. As it goes the film is set in an age of heroes and the mightiest warrior of them all is the Viking Beowulf (Ray Winstone). After destroying the overpowering demon Grendel (Crispin Glover) and saving the Danish kingdom the old crinkled king (Anthony Hopkins) and his beautiful young queen (Robin Wright Penn) are quite grateful. But alas Beowulf has also incurred the undying wrath of the beast’s ruthlessly seductive mother (Angelina Jolie) who will use any means possible to ensure revenge. The events that follow are what legends are made of. It must have been rather odd for the actors to see themselves animated in such a way--except for maybe Angelina Jolie and Ray Winstone (The Departed) whose naked bodies we get to see aplenty. They must have been honored because wow they are smokin’ hot! And in Jolie’s case not only is she drawn bad she IS bad (thanks in part to the artwork of Neil Gaiman). Her scene seducing Beowulf is definitely one of the film’s more beguiling moments. Hopkins as the drunken old king and John Malkovich as the king’s cowardly number two guy are easy to recognize in their animated forms while Wright Penn is a little harder to spot as the kind but trapped queen. Another standout is Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) as Beowulf's loyal lieutenant. Beowulf is certainly something to behold from the hair-raising action sequences to the grandeur of the cold Danish countryside to Grendel’s mother’s lair. And seeing it in IMAX 3-D adds to it even more although you might need some aspirin afterwards. But for all its hi-tech wonder motion-capture technology still hasn’t perfected the human factor. Unlike regular CGI animation in which the characters are created from scratch and thus have their own personalities and expressions trying to emulate humans in this way just doesn’t quite cut it. You lose that emotional connection to the characters because they aren’t well real. Beowulf could be compared to the most recent stylized epic 300--and the latter would probably win out simply because it incorporates real actors. Of course this could all be moot in the near future; I’m sure Zemeckis is working on the next step in advancing the technology.

Jim Carrey's fans are in for a festive treat--he is to star in a new animated adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
The Bruce Almighty funnyman will play Scrooge, as well as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future in the new special-effects extravaganza directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Zemeckis will use the same performance capture technology seen in his 2004 film The Polar Express and forthcoming Beowulf.
Other actors to have played Charles Dickens' iconic character include Bill Murray, Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart and Albert Finney.
COPYRIGHT 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.

It’s Halloween Eve in suburbia and while most of the neighborhood kids are gearing up for a candy extravaganza two young‘uns--DJ (voiced by Mitchell Musso) and Chowder (voiced by Sam Lerner)--are fretting and dreading. They’re convinced that the decrepit house across the street is in fact a monster house inhabited by an old hermit named Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi) that will lure kids in on Halloween night. But just as DJ’s parents who naturally don’t believe him to begin with leave for a vacation DJ inadvertently sends Nebbercracker to his death--or so he fears. Now DJ believes Nebbercracker’s monster house will seek revenge on him specifically and to make matters worse his negligent babysitter (voiced by Maggie Gyllenhaal) won’t hear of his yapping. After DJ and Chowder are forced to take action they along with a girl peddling candy (voiced by Spencer Locke) discover how the monster came to be and just how unforgiving she is. When it comes to animation acting the main goal is to make audiences forget that the actors are giving their performances in a studio possibly dressed in their PJs and sans makeup. That goal’s usually achieved but Monster House takes a gamble in supposing that child actors comprising the lead characters will be able to wrap their still-expanding brains around the concept. Somehow Lerner and Musso grasp this despite sounding like they haven’t even been in this world very long! The two are surrounded by a fail-proof supporting cast: it takes a while to recognize Buscemi’s voice as Nebbercracker but once it hits it fits and Gyllenhaal as the babysitter is great if unpredictable casting. Quasi-cameos from Jason Lee as Gyllenhaal’s punk boyfriend Jon Heder as a video-game god and Kevin James and Nick Cannon as slow-moving and -thinking cops garner the most laughs. Not only does it help a film’s box office performance to have Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis onboard as executive producers it helps a film’s director--in this case a rookie director named Gil Kenan. (Zemeckis directed ‘04’s somewhat similar-looking The Polar Express.) While the animation doesn’t quite stand up to say Pixar’s earth-shattering visuals Kenan makes up for it with a fun-filled story (from scripters Dan Harmon Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler) and an overall lively involved effort--and it’s not like the movie doesn’t still look gorgeous. Besides sometimes it’s refreshing to not be so entranced by the CGI that you lose sight of the actual movie at hand. Kenan’s film is one of the scarier animated movies in a while but that still doesn’t exclude many age groups. What the first-time director thrives on is stopping just shy of true horror moments at which point he reverts to feel-good mode without ever being sappy.

Actress Michelle Pfeiffer and her writer-producer husband David E. Kelley have put another one of their homes on the market.
The couple have listed their beachfront compound on the Hawaiian island of Oahu for $12.9 million.
The celebrity couple sold their Brentwood, California, estate for $19 million in January.
The Hawaiian property is located on Lanikai, which has been named one of the top U.S. beaches, and comes with 140 feet of beachfront property.
Article Copyright World Entertainment News Network All Rights Reserved.

The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio tells the true-life story of Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore) a late-1950's mom of 10 whose flair for the written word keeps the struggling family from succumbing to financial hardship. Once a burgeoning newspaper reporter Evelyn's life changed when she met Kelly (Woody Harrelson) a smooth-voiced crooner with an easygoing zest for life. But after an auto accident gruesomely impairs his ability to sing Kelly is forced to take a menial job to pay the rent. As the story begins the Ryan family has swelled their small working class home past the breaking point and Kelly's sorry fate has turned him to a drunken louse whose only pleasure is cursing out the Cleveland Indians on the radio. While Kelly spends his meager wages on drink Evelyn uses her literary gift to earn money and prizes from jingle contests. She even wins a freezer big enough to store the meat of three large deer though the only thing she has to put inside is a box of fish sticks. Every time it looks like Evelyn saves the day Kelly is there to mess it up again. He loves his wife and his family--something he tells them every time he screws up--but lurking underneath is a slow-burning jealousy. He wants to provide for his family but can't concede to the fact that Evelyn has been keeping them afloat. It eats away at his 1950's male ego. So in order to boost his pride and standing with the kids--most of whom are too afraid to express their hatred of him--Kelly takes out a loan against their mortgage only to fritter it away on more booze. When the bank seeks foreclosure on the house it's up to Evelyn's jingle for Dr. Pepper to beat out 250 000 other contestants.
Although she has played porn star in Boogie Nights this is the third time we've seen Moore as a 1950's suburban mom--and her talent at it has yet to wear thin. Though similar in time and place Moore always brings something fresh to these characters. In Prize Winner it's her glowing optimism in the face of hard times and an abusive husband that shines through. Harrelson's performance as family foil is a strong one though it's a wonder Evelyn manages to stick with him 1950's sentiment be damned. In one scene when he pushes her down while carrying the milk she begged the offensively rude milkman for Evelyn with hands and knees bloodied looks almost on the verge of leaving. But one look at her kids and she stays--she can't leave them behind not with him. Meanwhile Laura Dern shows up as another suburban mom who heads a group of fellow contesters who have monthly meetings at each other's homes. It's a small thankless role designed to thicken conflict--Evelyn tries for years to find the time to meet the ladies--but Dern plays it with charm and enthusiasm. Most other characters fly by without much thought or concern. Even the kids are indistinguishable from one another though we do get to know Terry aka "Tuff " a little bit the one who grows up to pen the memoir on which the movie is based.
Prize Winner marks Jane Anderson's directing debut (she wrote How to Make an American Quilt among others) and she pulls it off with surprising confidence. Perhaps having Robert Zemeckis onboard as producer might have eased the pressure. Though stylistically there's not much to speak about--it's a fairly straight-forward narrative and shooting style--Anderson does have a knack for period detail particularly plastic hairdos and pastel dresses. There's also not much of plot besides Evelyn saving her family every time Kelly bungles things. There were times I wished she would have shown the guy the door and be done with it. The main selling point is Evelyn and her valiant hope for her family's well-being. But Anderson makes one near-fatal flaw: At then end she gathers together the real-life Ryan children to comb through old photographs and belongings. Then we see the real Terry reading an old letter with Moore sitting beside her as Evelyn. After finishing the letter and giving Terry a kiss on the cheek Evelyn disappears. It's a surreal moment that takes us out of the emotional resonance of the narrative. It crosses boundaries best left alone. We know the movie is about real people but we don't need to actually see them especially when they're plodding around their old house pretending not to act. It's strange and awkward--a rookie mistake one hopes Ms. Anderson won't make again.

Based on Chris Van Allsburg's enchanting award winning children's book the story begins on a snowy Christmas Eve where a doubting young boy lies in his bed waiting to hear the sound he doesn't know if he believes in anymore: the tinkle of Santa's sleigh bells. What he hears instead however is the thunderous roar of an approaching train where no train should be: it's the Polar Express. Rushing outside in only a robe and slippers the incredulous boy meets the train's conductor who urges him to come onboard. Suddenly the boy finds himself embarking on an extraordinary journey to the North Pole with a number of other children--including a girl who has the tools to be a good leader but lacks confidence; a know-it-all boy who lacks humility; and a lonely boy who just needs to have a little faith in other people to make his dreams come true. Together the children discover that the wonder of Christmas never fades for those who believe. As the conductor wisely advises "It doesn't matter where the train is going. What matters is deciding to get on." Gives ya goose bumps doesn't it?
Talk about a vanity project for Tom Hanks. He portrays several of the characters in the film--the conductor the hobo who mysteriously appears and disappears on the Polar Express the boy's father. Wait isn't that Hanks playing Santa Claus as well? But if anyone can pull off some cheesy dialogue about the spirit of Christmas this Oscar-winning actor can. Interestingly the film also incorporates adults to play the children (none of the characters have names actually) with Hanks as the Hero Boy; Hanks' Bosom Buddies pal Peter Scolari as the Lonely Boy; The Matrix Revolutions Nona Gaye as the Hero Girl; and veteran voice actor Eddie Deezen as the Know-It-All Boy. Everyone does a good job but trying to make CGI-created people seem real is a difficult undertaking. With
The Polar Express director Robert Zemeckis has created an entirely new way to do computer animation called "performance capture." "[It's a process that] offers a vivid rendering of the Van Allsburg world while infusing a sense of heightened realism into the performances. It's like putting the soul of a live person into a virtual character " visual effects wizard and longtime Zemeckis collaborator Ken Ralston explains. Oh is that all? Problem is no matter how hard they try it doesn't work--not completely. Similar to flaws in the 2001 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within virtual characters just can't convey human emotion as well as real-life actors plain and simple. And with a touching story like Polar Express that real-life connection is missed at times.
Of course like the images in the book it's still an exceptionally beautiful film to watch. Zemeckis enjoys being a filmmaking innovator. He charmed audiences with a lively blend of live action and manic animation in the 1988 classic action comedy Who Framed
Roger Rabbit? and then wowed them with the 1994 Oscar-winning Forrest Gump blending authentic archival footage of historic figures with the actors. Now with The Polar Express it's this performance capture which gives Zemeckis unlimited freedom in creating the world he wants. And boy does he make use of it. True the story is a classic but the director knows he has to make The Polar Express exciting for the tykes-- simply riding around in a train to North Pole without any thrills certainly wouldn't be enough for the ADD world we live in. To accomplish this the film is padded with exhilarating scenes such as the train going on a giant roller coaster ride through the mountains and across frozen lakes (too bad Warner Bros. doesn't have a theme park) and the boy's race across the top of the snowy Polar Express. Even the North Pole is a booming magical Mecca filled with some pretty boisterous (and weird looking) elves who like to send Santa off in style Christmas Eve--watch out for Aerosmith's Steven Tyler making a cameo as a jammin' elf. Ho-ho-ho!

Top Story: Roberts Readies for Motherhood
Julia Roberts, 36, and her husband of almost two years, Daniel Moder, 35, are finally going to be parents. According to The Associated Press, People magazine reported the Oscar-winning actress is due to give birth to twins early next year. US Weekly also reported Roberts, 36, has been pregnant for about nine weeks with twins, while Star magazine, citing unidentified sources, said the twins were a boy and a girl. Roberts' spokeswoman, Marcy Engelman told People that twins run in Roberts' family, with her great-grandmother and a pair of cousins born as twins.
Apprentice's Kwame Gets the Boot Again
After losing the big job, The Apprentice runner-up Kwame Jackson was asked to step down again--this time as a judge for Donald Trump's Miss Universe pageant, AP reports. Jackson was disqualified by pageant organizers for waving at beauty queens he bumped into in the lobby of their hotel. "Kwame is intelligent, charming and we were really looking forward to him judging on our panel," pageant president Paula Shugart said in a statement. "But his interaction with the delegates, albeit unintentional, is strictly prohibited." In his defense, the 29-year-old Harvard MBA said, "I was meeting up with some friends who had flown in to support me, when I was recognized by some of the delegates. As a natural human response, I extended my hand to greet them."
Moore Wants Mid-Summer Release for Fahrenheit
It's all about the fireworks. Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore is close to a deal to secure a mid-summer theatrical distribution for his Palme d'Or-winning documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, Variety reports. The deal was still unresolved on Monday, however, as potential distributors debated the wisdom of widely releasing a highly controversial film at the height of the blockbuster season. The final deal is likely to be a complex arrangement with multiple parties, including U.S., Canadian and home-video distribs. Variety reports sources close to the talks said Moore was eyeing a June 25 or July 2 theatrical release date, with a home-video release in October.
Flint, Mich.'s First Film Festival
Back in Michael Moore's hometown of Flint, Mich., they are preparing for their inaugural film festival, the Flint Film Festival, AP reports. "People who've never been to a film festival will quickly find out this is the real heart of filmmaking. All the great films were made by people who started out like this," festival chairman Greg Fiedler, executive director of the Greater Flint Arts Council, told The Flint Journal. It runs June 4-6 and features 29 original films--features, shorts, documentaries, music videos and student productions--by independent filmmakers from as far away as Germany.
New Polar Express Trailer on the Way
The new full-length trailer for the upcoming animated holiday film The Polar Express will debut online June 1, as a special feature of The Daily Prophet on the Harry Potter site, www.harrypotter.com., as well as in theaters June 4 with the release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The Polar Express, based on the popular children's book, comes to the big screen courtesy of the Oscar-winning team of Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis and features the voices of Hanks, the late Michael Jeter, Chris Coppola and more.
Marvel and Sony Kiss and Make-Up
Comic-book publisher Marvel Enterprises Inc. has settled litigation with Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. over their Spider-Man Merchandising L.P. joint venture, which licenses merchandising rights for the Spider-Man movies. The bad blood between the comic book giant and the studio goes back to May 2003 when Marvel first sued Sony Pictures, claiming the studio was using its power to distance Spider-Man from Marvel in the minds of retailers. Sony Pictures then countersued, accusing Marvel of using the litigation to force renegotiation of its contract with Sony. Then, in January, Marvel sued Sony Pictures again, claiming the studio employed "Hollywood accounting" to deprive it of $6 million worth of merchandising royalties on Men in Black. The case was heard by a private judge, but details of the resolution, which include all cases, were not disclosed, Reuters reports.
Scott Wolf Marries Former Real World Cast Member
Party of Five star Scott Wolf married Kelley Limp, a former cast member of MTV's The Real World: New Orleans over the weekend. Wolf, 35, and Limp, 27, wed in a traditional wedding ceremony Saturday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Limp's hometown of Fayetteville, Ark., the AP reports. The couple, who met through a mutual friend in New York, said they plan to live in Santa Monica, Calif., after a honeymoon in Africa. Limp, who joined The Real World: New Orleans in the spring of 2000, now works in TV marketing in Los Angeles.
Letterman's Team Wins Indy 500
David Letterman got his adrenaline going this Memorial Day Weekend, but not just by hosting his long-running CBS series Late Show with David Letterman. The race car Letterman co-owns, driven by Buddy Rice, won the Indianapolis 500 Sunday, the AP reports. Letterman has been a silent partner to Bobby Rahal, the front man and lead partner on what had been known as Team Rahal, since 1996. But two weeks ago, Rahal, one of the best American road racers ever, outed Letterman as a contributor and announced he was renaming the team Rahal-Letterman Racing. Letterman, an Indiana native, has been a lifelong fan of open-wheel racing. Pop star Jessica Simpson sang the national anthem at the event, while Morgan Freeman drove the pace car in the race.
Role Call: Wayne Brady Lands First Starring Role in Running Scared
Talkshow host Wayne Brady has landed his first starring role in a feature, opposite Paul Walker in the action thriller Running Scared. According to Variety, the story revolves around a father (

Directed first "professional" short "The Lift," an 8-minute student film

TV producing debut as one of the co-executive producers of "Tales From the Crypt," an HBO horror anthology series

Served as a producer on the remake of "The House on Haunted Hill"

Reunited with Tom Hanks as producer and director of "Cast Away"; filmed over a stretch of time in 1999-2000 with a break for Hanks to lose weight

Scripted and executive produced "Trespass," helmed by Walter Hill

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, IL

Summary

With a flair for special effects and an impressive track record for eliciting strong performances, director Robert Zemeckis emerged from the University of Southern California's film school to become a potent filmmaking force in Hollywood. Though his first professional job was writing the script for Steven Spielberg's much-maligned World War II comedy "1941" (1979), Zemeckis staked his reputation as a hit maker with his third directing effort, "Romancing the Stone" (1984), which became a surprise box office success despite low expectations. But it was his next film, "Back to the Future" (1985) that cemented his place in Hollywood as a reliable director of both commercially successful and critically acclaimed movies. By this time, he was earning a reputation for pushing the boundaries of technology onscreen, though often with some criticism for focusing too much on visual effects. Still, Zemeckis continued to churn out hits, including the two "Back to the Future" sequels, as well as the animated-live action hybrid "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988). He achieved esteemed status when he won an Academy Award for his exemplary drama, "Forrest Gump" (1994), which, along with "Back to the Future, became a high water mark in his career. Though he slipped a bit with efforts like "Death Becomes Her" (1992), "Contact" (1997) and "What Lies Beneath" (2000), Zemeckis proved time and again with films like "Cast Away" (2000) and the groundbreaking "Polar Express" (2004) that he was capable of tackling challenging material while remaining commercially viable.

Married July 26, 1980; Worked together in several films including "Romancing the Stone" (1984) and "Death Becomes Her" (1992); Trainor also played the police psychiatrist in the "Lethal Weapon" films; Separated c. 1997; Divorced in 2000

Education

Zemeckis was the first recipient of the University of Southern California's Mary Pickford Alumni Award in 1995.

In October 1998, Zemeckis donated $5 million to USC for the creation of a cutting-edge digital arts studio, named the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts.

With deep emotional underpinnings, it ["Forrest Gump"] is not the sort of frenetic comedy that one would expect from Zemeckis. "One of the first conversations we had about this movie," [actor Tom] Hanks recalls, "was that this movie broke all his rules drilled into him to work on basic storytelling levels. There's no jeopardy. There's no clock running. Bob is a master at explaining the illogical, as in the 'Back to the Future' movies, and having them make sense. But this is the opposite. He had to take this emotional story and put it in the trappings of a special effects epic in a way that was so natural, it served the human elements of the story, instead of how he usually works, where it serves the fantastic elements of the story." – from "Reality Bites Back" by David Kronke, The Los Angeles Times, July 3, 1994